Sports Injury – Professional Physio – Sydney City CBD

At Macquarie Street Physiotherapy, your local city sports physiotherapy centre we see a wide range of sports injuries sustained by either competitive or recreational athletes.  There are essentially two groups of sports injuries – acute and chronic.  We see equal numbers of both.An injury which occurs suddenly, such as a sprained ankle or knee caused by an awkward landing is known as an acute injury. A chronic injury is one that has been with you over time due to over-load fatigue, structural abnormalities, poor biomechanics or technique. An untreated acute injury may become a chronic injury if it is not adequately managed.

Trauma implies “something happened” – it was likely sudden and very painful, and you may not have been able to play on.

Examples include:
Ligament sprains – ACL or PCL (cruciate ligaments of the knee) or MCL (medial collateral ligament of the knee) injuries or ankle sprains.
Muscle strains – such as a quadriceps (thigh), hamstring or rotator cuff (shoulder) tear.
Impact injuries – such as a corked thigh, bruise or contusion which cause bleeding within the tissues, or into a joint.

Overuse injuries occur over time, developing slowly or quickly. At first you might play on despite the pain, and it might even reduce once you are warmed up. However it is likely to come back and bite you when you wake up the next day! Each time you play, it worsens, or certainly doesn’t get any better.

Examples include:
Tendinitis – such as Achilles tendinitis, “jumpers knee” (tendinitis of the patella tendon), deQuirvain’s Syndrome (wrist), tennis elbow, ITB friction syndrome and many others.
Bursitis – such as trochanteric (hip) or sub-acromial (shoulder) bursitis
Stress fractures – this is when minute cracks form in bone as a result of repeated force (eg., March fracture of the foot)

Adolescent athletes do suffer certain injuries due to their lack of skeletal maturity despite often quite a heavy training schedule.  Overuse injuries in the adolescent include:
Osgood Schlatter’s disease – knee pain
Sever’s disease – heel pain
Sinding-Larsen-Johansson disease – knee pain
Mostly these injuries are managed with relative rest, but diagnosis is important.
Younger (primary school age) athletes are more likely to have injuries such as greenstick fractures and buckle fractures, which are specific to the developing skeleton.
Sportspeople in their 50s and 60s tend to suffer more tendinitis and muscle tears, along with joint issues, due to the reduction in elasticity of their tissues.  Examples include rotator cuff tears of the shoulder and Achilles tendinitis at the heel.

The way the injury was sustained as well as signs and symptoms all help your sports physiotherapist determine the type and extent of the injury. We will conduct a thorough assessment at your initial appointment. You may need treatment only, or further tests such as x-rays may be warranted. Your physiotherapist will guide you with regards to the best course of action. We will create a management plan to assist your recovery from injury and also work towards preventing recurrence.

Treatment may include therapeutic ultrasound, massage, dry needling, stretches, taping or bandaging, and specific exercises. The exercises may be for strength, co-ordination, balance and possibly core exercises. Advice as to what to do at home and work, along with just how much activity is likely to be safe, are crucial to the success of your treatment.

Try not to do too much, too quickly: Many injuries can be avoided if you are conservative with progressing your exercise. Don’t try to cram for an event or tournament, or even for the purpose of losing weight.
Body alignment or technique: ask your physio to show you techniques to avoid injury
Warm up before playing: don’t launch into sport cold and stiff
Allow adequate recovery time between sessions:  your body needs to repair between work-outs
Wear appropriate footwear:  correct footwear provides protection from the ground up
Wear safety equipment appropriate to the sport: protect yourself from injury with safety equipment such as a helmet or mouthguard
Cross train:  exercise in a variety of ways so you can use your body and muscles in different ways. For example, go to the gym to help support your body for tennis.